govpol unit 2

Article 1

describes the powers of the congress like meeting once a year, levying taxes, borrowing money and regulating commerce

4 enumerated powers of congress

collect taxes, declare war, coin money, raise an army

Constituency

the body of voters who elect the repersentive people in your district

Treaty Ratification

the legslative branch can ratify or reject the treaty presented by the executive branch

Gerrymandering

the manipulation of legislative district boundaries of a way of favoring a particular candidate

Census

an official count or survey of a population

Redistricting

occurs every ten years- boundaries of legislative districts are redrawn as needed to maintain a similar number of voters while still maintaining 435 districts

Power of the Purse

power to levy and collect taxes, means that they control money

Congressional Oversight

the USC has the authority to conduct hearings, investigation, and budget reviews of the actions by the executive branch

Incumbent

the current office holder usually in relation to an election

Budget Deficit

when money spending exceeds money (revenue) during a defined period

Pork Barrel Legislation

the appropriations made by legislative bodies for local projects that often are not needed but used to help politicians get re-elected

Earmakrs

money put aside for specific projects

Trustee vs Delegate vs Politico

Trustee- entrusted with making a descion even if the people don't want that
Delegate-they are doing stuff for the people/represents the people
Politico- mix of everything so everyone is happy

Caucus

a meeting or grouping of members of a specific poltical party or supporters of a movement (informal)

Congressional Caucus

organizations that include members of congress but they don't pass legislation (informal)

Congressional Committee

a legislative sub organization in the U.S. Congress that handles a specific duty like handling money

Standing Committee

permanent committee with fixed rules and members

Select Committee

a small legislative committee appointed for a specific purpose or issues

Joint Committee

a committee composed of members of both the House and the Senate

Speaker of the House

VERY POWERFUL head of the legislative branch and decides what gets a vote and what doesn't

President of the Senate

Vice President

Conference Committee

joint committee often made of members of original jurdiscon committee (compromise between House and Senate)

Preident Pro Tempore

officer of the Senate elected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the Vice President

Majority/ Minority Leader

the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority/minority of seats in the House or Senate

Majority/ Minority Whip

a go between with the majority/ minority leadership and party members

Committee Chair

leader of a congressional committee who as authority over the committee's agenda (runs committee hearings)

Ranking Member

most senior member of a committee from the minority party

Filibuster

a lengthy speech designed to delay or kill the vote only in the Senate (60 votes)

Cloture

a procedure used in the Senate to limit debate on a bill

Committee Hearing

for a bill, provides an opportunity for the committee to hear and evaluate opinions on the bill

How does the structure of each chamber affect the policy making process?

the structure and functions of each chamber are different which can affect policymaking like making the policy move faster or slower

Partianship

each party votes for their own party "runs to their corners"

Entitlements

stuff that is paid for by the government like social security, medicaid, and medicare

Social Security

a social welfare policy for people who no longer receive an income from employment

Medicare

an entitlement health insurance program for older people and retirees who no longer get health insurance through their work

Medicaid

a health insurance program for low-income citizens

Discretionary Spending

portions of the budget not devoted to mandatory spendingex: operations of govt or tech spending

Rules Committee

a standing committee who are responsible for prioritizing bills coming from the committee stage for 2nd readings, sets out rules for debate "vital legislative role"

Committee of the Whole

a committee including all members of the House allows bills and resolutions to be considered without formal rules

Riders

a tweak on a bill like a time frame

Logrolling

members of congress will vote for a bill in exchange for a bill in exchange for a bill that benefits them

Divided Government

when one party controls the White House (executive branch) and the other party controls one or more houses in the Congress (legislative branch)

Gridlock

when bills are not moved or voted on because there is no or enough support

Reapportionment

the reallocation of the House seats between the states to account for population changes

Safe Seat

they know they are going to win

Marginal Seat

they are not so sure they are going to win

Lame Duck session

(after the congressional election) time between when the person in congress doesn't get re-elected and when the new person has to come in

Apporpriation

money/ earmarks

Congressional Budget Office

the congressional office that scores the spending or revenue impact of all proposed legislation to assess its net effect on the budget

Explain how congressional behavior is impacted by the election process

most members of congress want to be re-elected by their constituents which can affect their voting behavior and the issues they devote to while in office

Explain how congressional behavior is impacted by partisanship

partisan divisions in congress can lead to legislative gridlock or more negotiation and compromise

Explain how congressional behavior is impacted by divided government

give rise to partisan standoffs such as congressional refusal to approve presidential appointments